Artist's Statement

"In the simplest terms, my art is an exploration of psychology. Through portraits and figure paintings of subjects in dream and trance-like states, I can express aspects of memory or identity, and the emotions behind them. In an imagined setting, I am free to simultaneously convey both feelings of isolation and liberation, and perhaps in equal shares, hopefully promoting a sense of conflict within the viewer. Akin to the question of the glass being either half empty or half full, my art draws out attitudes in the interpretation of opposing forces.My approach towards any category of belief, be it political, sociological, philosophical, religious, or whatever else, is personal to me. By my passive nature and demeanor, I opt to separate my beliefs from those of others. Though there is an invaluable beauty to be found in a mutual understanding between opposing ideas, there always lies as well, be it volatile or dormant, a risk of conflict between those whose beliefs conflict. In avoidance of this risk, I strip down and translate the external influences towards my paintings to a plain, thus malleable, body of vocabulary. The symbolism I use to dress and accentuate the portraits and figures I paint is best described as a language of organic lines, patterns, textures and shapes, that are without absolute definition. It is only through variations of their density, their placement in relation to each other, to the portrait or figure, their placement on the canvas or the lack thereof, that these symbols may serve to express a more legible implication. In order to unravel a narrative within my work, the viewer must utilize the imagination."